Immigration and Urbanization in the Industrial Age

Industrialization and Immigration Introduction: Millions of immigrants came to the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries seeking a better life Most wanted to escape difficult conditions such as: Poverty Famine Land shortages Religious or political persecution

Industrialization and Immigration Immigrants from Europe: 1815-1860 -5 million immigrants mainly from England, Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, and other places in Northwestern Europe. 1865-1890 -10 million immigrants mainly from Northwestern Europe 1890-1914 -15 million immigrants came from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe. They were Austro-Hungarian, Turkish, Lithuanian, Russian, Jewish, Greek, Italian, and Romanian

Industrialization and Immigration Immigrants from China and Japan: Between 1851 and 1883, @ 200,000 Chinese arrived Many sought gold Many helped build the 1st transcontinental railroad In 1884 the Japanese government allowed Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers = Japanese emigration boom By 1920 there were 200,000+ Japanese living on the West Coast

Industrialization and Immigration Immigrants from the West Indies and Mexico: Between 1880 and 1920 about 260,000 immigrants from the West Indies (Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other islands) came to the U.S. Many Mexicans became Americans in the mid-late 1800s because of various land acts and some came in search of jobs and farmland

CHART OF IMMIGRATION 1820 TO 1980 1900 THIS CHART SHOWS THE RISE AND FALL OF IMMIGRATION THROUGHOUT U.S. HISTORY. THE “WAVES OF IMMIGRATION” SLIDE EXPLAINS WHICH GROUPS WERE COMING AT WHICH POINT IN HISTORY.

Industrialization and Immigration Life in the New Land for Immigrants: no matter where they came from, immigrants faced many adjustments Difficult journey by steamship Trip usually took 1 – 3 weeks Many traveled in steerage or in cargo holds Diseases spread and many died before they reached their destination Ellis Island – immigration station in New York Physical examination, literacy test, proof they were able to work , and $25 Many detained for days or possibly sent home Between 1892 and 1943, 16 million immigrants passed through

Industrialization and Immigration Life in the New Land for Immigrants: Angel Island – immigration station in San Francisco Bay Known for harsh questioning, long detentions and cruel treatment of the immigrants

ADVERTISEMENTS FOR TRAVEL TO AMERICA

COMING TO AMERICA

STEERAGE: THE CHEAPEST WAY TO COME TO AMERICA STEERAGE,THE LOWEST DECK ON THE SHIP, THE CHEAPEST METHOD OF COMING TO AMERICA, IT WAS UNCOMFORTABLE AND DISEASE-RIDDEN.

ELLIS ISLAND IMMIGRATION CENTER, NEW YORK CITY

1910 CENSUS: FOREIGN BORN RESIDENTS IN US CITIES.

Industrialization and Immigration Life in the New Land for immigrants Culture Shock – confusion and anxiety resulting from immersion into a culture whose ways of thinking and acting you don’t understand Immigrants struggled to find jobs, housing, and function in daily life Ethnic communities sprang up in areas that had large concentrations of immigrants

NEW IMMIGRANTS TENDED TO MOVE WHERE THEY KNEW PEOPLE FROM THE OLD WORLD CITIES, UNLIKE THE OLD IMMIGRANTS THE NEW IMMIGRANTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO STAY IN THE LARGE CITIES AND NOT GO AND FARM .

Industrialization and Immigration Immigration restrictions: as growing numbers of immigrants entered the country, strong anti-immigrant feelings emerged and the government reacted by passing legislation that restricted immigration Nativism – favoritism toward native-born Americans This paved the way for anti-immigrant groups and led to a demand for immigration restrictions People from Asian countries often received the worst treatment!

Industrialization and Immigration Immigration restrictions: Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Banned entry to all Chinese except students, teachers, merchants, tourists, and government officials 1902 immigration was prohibited indefinitely repealed in 1943

INTENDED EFFECT OF THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT OF 1882 CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT, 1882 ACT THAT STOPPED IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA. HOW ARE ORIENTALS PORTRAYED I N THE CARTOON? AS ANIMALS

Industrialization and Immigration Immigration restrictions: Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907-1908 Response to Anti-Japanese sentiment on the West Coast Japanese government agreed to limit emigration to the U.S.

Urbanization Urbanization = the growth of cities Promise of industrial jobs drew millions of people to the American cities Urban population exploded Jumping from 10 million to 54 million between 1870 and 1920 Urban growth revitalized cities and created serious problems

Urbanization Reasons for Urbanization OPPORTUNITY– work, to escape poverty, and gain a better life for themselves and their children New technology created new mills, factories, mines and transportation systems that needed workers New agricultural equipment meant fewer laborers were needed and people had to find other types of employment Cultural opportunities

Urbanization Urban Problems: city governments faced serious problems when dealing with rapid urbanization Housing: tenement homes were overcrowded and unsanitary Transportation: mass transit was needed to accommodate the large population Cable cars, electric streetcars, electric subways Cities struggled to keep the transportation systems in good repair and to build new ones

IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOODS IN NEW YORK CITY: LATER HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

NEW INVENTIONS MADE RAPID URBAN GROWTH POSSIBLE TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS, NEW SCIENTIFIC AND MECHANICAL INVENTIONS THAT REVOLUTIONIZED HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION MAKING RAPID URBAN GROWTH POSSIBLE.

RAPID TRANSIT IN THE 19TH CENTURY MASS TRANSIT, A WAY TO TRANSPORT LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE. INVENTIONS AND INNOVATIONS ALLOWED CITIES TO BECOME BIGGER AND EXPAND HORIZONTALLY AS WELL AS VERTICALLY.

MASS TRANSPORTATION MOVES UNDERGROUND WITH THE FIRST SUBWAYS SUBWAY SYSTEM, FIRST BUILT IN BOSTON IN 1897.

Urbanization Urban Problems: city governments faced serious problems when dealing with rapid urbanization Water: cities struggled to supply fresh water Sanitation: dirty streets, polluted air, no sewage removal Fire: deadly fires broke out in all American cities Crime: lack of full-time police force = thieves, con men, and gangs Corruption: rapid growth of cities led to corrupt local governments! These problems , and many others, led to the Progressive Reform movement!!!

IMMIGRANT (JEWISH) NEIGHBORHOOD IN NEW YORK CITY HESTER STREET, NYC

PROBLEMS IN THE NEW CITIES: SLUMS The majority of working class people lived crowded together in slums made up of tenements, cheap apartment buildings, row houses and boarding houses.

Politics in the Gilded Age In the late 19th century, cities experienced rapid growth under inefficient government. In a climate influenced by dog-eat-dog Social Darwinism, cities were receptive to a new power structure, the political machines, and a new politician, the city boss.

WHY WERE CITIES SO CORRUPT? CITIES GREW SO FAST, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS COULD NOT HANDLE IT IMMIGRANTS FROM SOUTHERN AND EASTERN EUROPE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY AND WERE EASY PREY FOR BOSSES BUSINESSMEN WERE CLOSELY LINKED WITH BOSSES MAKING CORRUPTION HARD TO FIGHT

BIG CITY BOSSES POSITIVES NEGATIVES HELPED POOR IMMIGRANTS WITH FOOD AND JOBS THEY WERE CORRUPT AND STOLE THE PEOPLE’S MONEY THEY PERFORMED NEEDED FUNCTIONS THAT REGULAR CITY OFFICIALS COULD NOT BOSSES PROTECTED VICE AND ENCOURAGED MONOPOLIES